Label printers include a thermal head and a platen roller. The label printers pinch one end in the longitudinal direction of a label continuous body wound into a roll between the thermal head and the platen roller, reel off the label continuous body, and rotate the platen roller to feed the label continuous body in a sheet shape, for example. During this feeding, the thermal head in this label printer prints desired information on each of a plurality of labels temporarily adhering to a long strip of mount included in the label continuous body.
There are two types of ejection schemes for such label printers, including continuous ejection and separation ejection. The continuous ejection is to eject labels while leaving the labels temporarily adhering to a mount. The separation ejection is to separate labels from a mount and then eject the same.
In the case of the continuous ejection, the operator cuts off a mount having a required number of labels attached thereon from a label continuous body. Then the operator can bring this cut-off mount to the site, and can separate the labels from the mount for attachment at the site. The continuous ejection is therefore suitable for the case where a target for attachment of the labels is located in a place away from the printer.
Meanwhile in the case of the separation ejection, the printer ejects labels separated from a mount one by one. The separation ejection is therefore suitable for the case where a target for attachment of the labels is located near the operator. For the separation ejection, a separation unit attached to the printer is set at the separation ejection position. Then one end in the longitudinal direction of the mount is bent via a separation pin, and the one end is pinched between a separation roller of the separation unit and a platen roller. Thereby, when the label continuous body is fed for printing by rotating the platen roller, the mount is fed while being pinched between the separation roller and the platen roller. During the feeding, the printed labels are separated from the mount one by one and are ejected from the printer.
For a printer having the two types of ejection modes including the continuous ejection and the separation ejection, the printer described in Laid open patent publication JP 2006-150858 A is known, for example.